By Keith Brunson
In 1974, 22-year-old David Darby hitched a ride from Louisiana to San Francisco. He had $230.00 in his pocket. No one was expecting him, and he had no contacts in California. He had no plan.
Being a southerner myself, I can tell you that those who live in the south see California as the promised land. And since David was in Alabama and then Louisiana, nothing appealed more than makin’ the scene following the national exposure of the Haight-Ashbury counterculture scene of the Bay Area in the 60s. So, David took on life headfirst, and it made all the difference.
David had been raised in Montgomery, Alabama, where his Father worked in television and was heralded as a celebrity. David spent time watching his Father, and from that observance beginning at five years old, he set the stage for a life in the arts that continues today at 69 years old.
A young and observant, David Darby.
David is now a film and television producer and an A-list voiceover artist. And he did it all with no plan. No contacts. No idea what would happen. But instead of talking about it, he just did it. You may recognize this voice. Listen in.
David Darby’s voice overs and voice work are featured
in a wide range of mainstream media.
Unique to this vagabond was his interest in education involving his passion for the world of creation. “I went to college and took a lot of classes,” because as David explained it, “learning is how you advance your life.” That philosophy would make all the difference in the world and fed his healthy habit of loving vintage cars.
David became a vintage car enthusiast pursuing his passions.
His attendance at San Francisco State University in 1975 led to a job at Furman Films, where he learned all the skillsets of filmmaking. It was there he made his first film and had his girlfriend Jane, who became his wife, voice the narration. That professional contribution to his film led to a bond that has lasted ever since between them. But it didn’t keep the two anchored for very long at all. Both decided to travel the country for six weeks. Vagabond living. It became a central theme in David’s life. THAT and Jane, whom he married four years later. The honeymoon was in Paris, and it lasted for three weeks. So much for concerns about professional life, right?
David & Jane Darby living on the road enjoying the “vagabond” life.
In 1980, the two were on the road again. This time relocating to New York City, with, of course, no plan. But within three months, David was at ICM Films, and this is where things finally began to take shape in voiceover. But he’d also been able to become a writer, a producer, and a director. A renaissance man. By now, David could do every job, and he used that to his advantage. After all, in 1986, his son was born, and it became necessary to add structure to his life. That’s around the time when everything that had been clicking got moved up a notch. A big notch.
David in the sound booth during a voice-over recording.
By 1990, the allure of the announce booth took on a special meaning. ‘‘It allowed me to speak to the world, from the privacy of a small private room, and I loved it,” says David. “I was a product of my Dad, and Dad loved voice work, and we sounded identical.’’
From paint to airlines, SUV’s and credit cards, David Darby lends his voice to radio and TV commercials.
David then moved from voiceover to a serious career as a producer and director. And he’s still active. Along with a distinct group of superlatives, David remains one of the most dependable versatile talents of choice. He can write. He can voice. He can cast. He can direct. He can produce. And all of it came to be because of an influential Father whom he observed since childhood as someone to be just like. “I am a version of my Dad,” says David, “and he still affects my life each and every day.” David goes on to explain, “I knew what I wanted to do with my life, and it all began as I watched the life my Father led.”
And now, as yet another day rolls by, David lives in rural Connecticut. He works and still trains to remain up to date. His audio led to his directing career. And his life seems to be just like the kind of guy we’d all like to become. Not bad for a man with no plan.
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